Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
With the addition of another candidate, it appears the race for sheriff of Kosciusko County will be contested by Republicans and Democrats.
Sheriff's patrolman Jeff Bronsing has thrown his name into the ring and will run on the Democratic ticket.
Bronsing, 49, of Syracuse, joins Glenn Canter as the other Democrat candidate. Four Republicans have announced plans to run for the office.
Bronsing has been with the department for 25 years, which is more experience than any other candidate has with the department.
"After 25 years working on the streets, talking with people in the county and working under four sheriffs, I have acquired the experience and have the ability needed to do the job," Bronsing said.
Although the county department has grown over the years, it has not kept up with the needs and technology available, he said.
The biggest issue facing the county is juvenile crime, said Bronsing, who has worked on gang surveillance the past four years.
The county needs to intensify its study of gang activity to prevent an escalation of activities, he said.
The county seems to have a large number of repeat juvenile offenders.
"There's got to be something the community can do," Bronsing said. "I think there are programs that might be effective if they were put into place."
Juvenile detention is another top issue. The lack of a local detention facility is part of the debate. "Should we build one or continue to pay to house them out of the county? I think it's getting to the point where we need our own facility," Bronsing said.
Expansion/renovation of the jail is another concern. And Bronsing said much of the equipment, including communications, needs to be updated.
Bronsing said he helped organize the department's reserve unit, was the first officer in the county to have a K-9 unit, and was responsible for writing grants that brought in money to help start the county's undercover drug operation and about $100,000 for other uses.
He was born in Warsaw, graduated from John Adams High School in South Bend, spent four years in the U.S. Coast Guard and joined the sheriff's department in 1973.
He is a member of the Warsaw Flotilla Coast Guard Auxiliary and is a certified boating safety instructor for the Coast Guard and the Department of Natural Resources.
Bronsing resides in Syracuse.
